POPULATION
395
The only inscription is undecipherable, but, judging from the character
of the letters that have been made out, it dates approximately from the
eleventh century. The soft sandstone of the sculptures has everywhere
decayed. Among monuments of later date, the most interesting is the
masonry platform at KALANAUR, which marks the scene of Akbar's
coronation in 1556. For particulars as to other remains of interest,
see the article on BATALA TOWN.
Gurdaspur contains rr towns and 2,244 villages. Its population at
the last three enumerations was: (1881) 823,695, (1891) 943,922, and
(1901) 940,334. During the last decade it decreased
by 0•4 per cent., the fall being largely accounted for Population.
by emigration, abut 44,000 settlers having gone from this District
to the Chenab Colony. The District is divided into the four tahsils
of GURDASPUR, BATALA, SHAKARGARH, and PATHANKOT, the head-
quarters of each being at the place from which it is named. The chief
towns are the municipalities of GURDASPUR, the administrative head-
quarters of the District, DALHOUSIE, BATALA, DINANAGAR, KALANAUR,
PATHANKOT, SUJANPUR, DERA NANAK, and SRIGOBINDPUR.
The following table shows the chief statistics of population in
1901 :-
Gurddspur
Shakargarh
Pathankot
Batala .
District total
_.._..4 "Nummber of v y ô e~
el.= .. ôa.r
„._
P~ _ _- .2ô O E N r.r~d`I o,ap d 0r+v+
C.ciy Ca m~
O.^_ v fd.-. E°ros 'L.
û.cev~ i
v H Po. â~ P. wy,dS0.5.a z`vw
d Pr gr. a.
-
96 .3 _ 258,379 520-9 + 2.5 -7,478
668
48.5 .5 703 234,465 483-4 - 6.3 4,789
+
367 39.5 141,623 3859 0.5 5,250
476 3 478 3o5867 642.6 + 1-7 9,262
1,889' 1 1 2,244 940,334 497-8 + 0-4 26,779
* The only figures available for the areas of tahsils are those derived from the revenue
returns, and the tahsil densities have been calculated on the areas given in the revenue
returns for tooo-t. These returns do not always cover the whole of the country com-
prised in a tahsil; and hence the total of the tahsil areas does not agree with the District
area as shown in the Census Reporl of toot, in the table above, and on page 39o, which
is the complete area as calculated by, the Survey department. The tracts not included
in the revenue survey are as a rule uninhabited or very sparsely populated.
Muhammadans number 463,371, or over 49 per cent. of the total;
Hindus, 38o,636, or over 40 per cent.; and Sikhs, 91,756, or io per
cent. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Kadian, who claims to be the Mahdi
and the Messiah, has founded a Muhammadan sect known as the
Ahmadiyas. The District contains several important Sikh shrines,
especially at Dera NAnak, and a large number of Hindu and Sikh
religious houses. The density. of the population is high. The language
of the District is chiefly Punjabi, but a good deal of Dogr! is spoken
on the Jammu border.